School Counseling Program

Anna Briggs
anna.briggs@cune.org

What Does a School Counselor Do?

“A school counselor is a certified/licensed educator who improves
student success for ALL students by implementing a comprehensive
school counseling program,” (ASCA, 2021, para. 1). School
counselor’s roles include: individual student academic planning and
goal setting, classroom lessons based on student success standards,
short-term counseling, referrals for long-term support, collaboration
with families/teachers/administrators/community, advocacy, data
analysis to identify student needs, and acting as a system change
agent to improve equity, access, achievement, and opportunities for all students (ASCA, 2021). School counselors are different
from other clinical counselors, as they do not diagnose mental illness in students or perform long-term mental health counseling.
However, school counselors do make referrals for students who need additional support.

How We Support Students

School counselors provide both individual and group counseling
sessions within the school. These sessions could be a one-time
occasion, or it could last several weeks. School counselors will
make a referral if they feel as though the student would be better
served from a professional counselor.
 Outside Resources
Collaboration with community partners and other outside resources are vital
to the success of the school counseling program. Referral is an important
part of the school counseling program. The following resources are available
in Seward County, and are community partners with the school: Blue Valley
Community Action; Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska; Seward Family
Support Center; Seward Head Start Program; Blue Valley Behavioral Health;
Metschke Counseling Center; Orr Psychotherapy Resources; Turning Point
Behavioral Health and Addiction.

Resources:

ASCA. (2021). The role of the school counselor. ASCA. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/ee8b2e1b-d021-
4575-982c-c84402cb2cd2/Role-Statement.pdf